Greenberg Traurig
Interesting selling points
- Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded the firm Band 2 rankings for its Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Lower Mid-Market and Fraud: Civil departments.
- Offers a broad range of interesting services, including legal advice relating to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, education, gaming, government contracts, hydrogen, and technology.
- The firm recruits a small trainee pool of around eight per year.
- It has a number of high profile clients, including Samsung, Ford, Hyundai, Target, Whole Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Amazon and Sony.
- Advises early stage businesses (see here) as well as large corporates, suggesting lawyers have the opportunity to gain exposure to businesses at various stages in their life cycles.
- Greenberg Traurig focuses on “elevating” its clients’ experiences through technology, and has accordingly developed its own legal tech offerings including a custom immigration case management software platform.
We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.
Practice areas / services
Greenberg Traurig is a full-service commercial law firm, with service areas including:
- ADA and Accessibility Law
- Advertising & Market Technology
- American Indian Law
- Anti-Counterfeiting
- Antitrust Litigation & Competition Regulation
- Appeals & Legal Issues
- Arbitration & Mediation
- Artificial Intelligence
- Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
- Automotive
- Aviation
- Banking & Financial Services
- Benefits & Compensation
- Blockchain & Digital Assets
- Business Aviation
- Business Continuity Amid COViD-19
- Business Succession Planning
- Capital Markets
- Capital Markets Tax
- Carbon Capture & Sequestration
- Charitable Planning & Foundations
- Class Action Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Law
- Copyright Registration & Licensing
- Corporate
- Corporate Governance & Compliance
- Corporate Trust Services
- Cross Border Tax Planning
- Cross-Border Transfers & Transfer Impact Assessments
- Cryptocurrency Enforcement
- Customs
- Cybersecurity Readiness Assessments
- Data Breach Incident Response
- Data Inventories & Records of Processing
- Data Minimization & Records Retention
- Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Delaware Law & Litigation
- Digital Infrastructure, Data Center and Cloud Computing
- Distressed High Yield Bond Workout Group
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Domain Name Portfolio Management, Internet & Mobile Related Website Issues
- eDiscovery & eRetention
- Education
- Electric Power & Utility Regulation
- Employment Litigation & Trials
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Energy Litigation
- Energy Project Finance & Development
- Energy Tax Equity
- Energy Transactions
- Entertainment & Media
- Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
- Environmental & Toxic Tort Litigation
- ERISA & Employee Benefits Litigation
- Estate Planning/Trust & Estate Administration
- Export Controls & Economic Sanctions
- Family Office Services
- Federal Regulatory & Administrative Law
- Fiduciary Litigation
- Finance
- Financial Information Privacy
- Finance Instruments, Derivatives & Project Finance/Leasing Tax
- Financial Regulatory & Compliance
- Financial Services Litigation
- Food, Beverage & Agribusiness
- Franchise & Distribution
- Futures & Derivatives
- Gaming
- Gaming Licensing & Regulation
- Global Data Protection Programs
- Government Contracts
- Government Contract Lending
- Government Contractor Cybersecurity
- Government Contracts Bid Protest Litigation
- Government Contracts – Investigations
- Government Contracts – Suspension & Debarment
- Government Law & Policy
- GT COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Team
- Health Care & FDA Practice
- Health Emergency Preparedness Task Force: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
- Health Information Privacy
- Hospitality
- Hydrogen
- Immigration & Compliance
- Infrastructure
- Institutional Banking & Investment Services (IBIS)
- Insurance
- Insurance & Reinsurance Litigation
- Insurance Regulatory & Transactions
- Intellectual Property & Technology
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- International Arbitration & Litigation
- International Employment, Immigration & Workforce Strategies
- International Estate Planning
- International Gaming
- International Trade
- International Trade Commission’s Section 337
- Investment Management
- IP Technology Licensing & Transactions
- IT & Business Process Outsourcing
- Labor & Employment
- Labor & Employment Due Diligence
- Labour-Management Relations
- Land Use
- Latin America Practice
- Life Sciences & Medical Technology
- Liquefied Natural Gas
- Litigation
- Marketing, Advertising, Sweepstakes & Promotions Law
- Media & Entertainment Litigation
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Mergers & Acquisitions Disputes
- Mergers & Acquisition Tax
- Mining
- Nanotechnology
- Oil & Gas Pipeline Regulation
- Opportunity Zone Funds
- OSHA
- Patent Prosecution
- Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care
- Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Litigation
- Political Law & Compliance
- Privacy Gap Assessments
- Privacy & Security Employee Training
- Private Equity
- Private Funds
- Private Wealth Services
- Products Liability & Mass Torts
- Project & Infrastructure Finance
- Property Tax
- Proposition 65 & Green Chemistry
- Public Finance & Infrastructure
- Public Utilities
- Public-Private Partnerships (P3)
- Rail & Transit
- Real Estate
- Real Estate Finance
- Real Estate Funds
- Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
- Real Estate Leasing
- Real Estate Litigation
- Real Estate Operations
- Real Estate Tax
- Regulatory & Compliance
- Regulatory Investigations
- Renewable Energy
- Restaurant Industry
- Restructuring & Bankruptcy
- Retail
- Securities Litigation
- Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
- Sports Betting
- Sports Facilities & Entertainment Venues
- Sports Law
- State & Federal Tax Controversies
- State & Local Tax (SALT)
- State Attorneys General Practice
- State Privacy Laws
- Structured Finance
- Tabletops/Incident Response Training
- Tax
- Tax & Business Group
- Tax Controversy and Litigation
- Tax-Exempt Organizations
- Technology, Media & Telecommunications
- Trade Remedies
- Trade Secrets
- Trademark & Brand Management
- Transportation
- Trial Practice
- Tribal Gaming
- Troubled Bank Task Force
- Trusts & Estates Litigation
- UK Civil Fraud & Business Disputes
- Upstream Oil & Gas
- Value-Added Tax (VAT)
- Venture Capital & Emerging Technology
- Video Games & Esports
- Wage & Hour Class and Collective Litigation
- Water Law
- White Collar Defense & Investigations
- Workplace Compliance & Counseling
Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded the firm its ‘Band 2’ ranking for the following departments: Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Lower Mid-Market and Fraud: Civil. See here for more information
Key sectors / industries
The firm serves a broad range of industries, with some of its highest-value clients operating in the following sectors:
- Banking & Financial Services
- Entertainment & Media
- Government Law & Policy
- Technology, Media & Telecommunications
- Transportation
In addition, Greenberg Traurig services the following industries: Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain & Digital Assets, Corporate, Corporate Trust Services, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure, Data Center and Cloud Computing, Energy & Natural Resources, Environmental, Food, Beverage & Agribusiness, Franchise & Distribution, Gaming, Government, Health Care & FDA Practice, Health Emergency Preparedness Task Force: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), Hospitality, Immigration & Compliance, Infrastructure, Insurance, Intellectual Property & Technology, International Trade, Labor & Employment, Latin America Practice, Life Sciences & Medical Technology, Litigation, Marketing, Advertising, Sweepstakes & Promotions Law, Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care, Private Wealth Services, Public Finance & Infrastructure, Real Estate, Regulatory & Compliance, Restaurant Industry, Restructuring & Bankruptcy, Retail, Tax, and Venture Capital & Emerging Technology.
Work
Some notable examples of Greenberg Traurig’s work includes:
- Pioneer Group: The firm advised Pioneer Group on a landmark partnership with the Crown Estate and Oxford Science Enterprises to provide lab space in the heart of Oxford, transforming the site of a former Debenhams into a life sciences, technology and innovation space.
- Teeswork: Greenberg Traurig advised Teesworks on a major contract awarded to ASCO, a global integrated logistics and materials management specialist, to provide a range of services at the UK’s largest freeport in the northeast of England.
- Blackstone: The firm advised Blackstone on the acquisition of a 250+ acre site in Northumberland to enable the potential development of a hyperscale data center campus.
Offices / global footprint / expansion
Headquarters: New York, One Vanderbilt Avenue.
Offices: The firm has 47 offices across the globe, including 34 offices across the US and an office in London.
Training contract
Greenberg Traurig’s training contract is made up of four six-month seats. Trainees sit with their supervisors on a daily basis and also benefit from two training shareholders, who meet regularly with trainees to provide additional support and guidance. Seats are potentially available across all of the firm’s practice groups, including corporate, funds, real estate, litigation, capital markets, banking and finance, restructuring, tax, and employment. Alongside the various seats, trainees receive formal training in client management, business development, collaboration and cultural skills. Applications for a training contract are made by way of a CV and a one page covering letter.
Secondments
The firm does not offer international secondments, but trainees may apply for a UK client secondment.
Technology and innovation
The firm’s technology and innovation offerings focus on “elevating” the client’s experience of legal services. Examples of the firm’s work to further this aim include:
- Online deal collaboration platform: the firm built its own online deal collaboration platform, where client team members and lawyers can share and track information about an M&A deal in real time. The platform serves as a central repository for current deal documents, historical information, best practice tips and tools, and formal deal documents.
- Arbitration Case Outcome Database: Greenberg Traurig built its own database of case outcomes, which contains critical data on various arbitrators (each arbitrator is scored on several important factors).
- Immigration Case Management Software Platform: the firm partnered with a Fortune 50 company’s legal team to develop a custom immigration case management software platform and related immigration matter playbook and templates.
Corporate social responsibility
Greenberg Traurig is committed to the principle that “all persons are entitled to equal access to justice”. As such, the firm has demonstrated a strong commitment to pro bono work, examples of which include:
- Israel Bar Association: The firm worked in coordination with the Israel Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association to launch a platform which connects Israeli civilians impacted by the ‘Iron Swords’ War with legal professionals who can provide them with critical pro bono services.
- Vera Institute of Justice: the firm represented the Vera Institute of Justice, a criminal justice-reform advocate, in connection with the negotiation of a lease for 35,000 square feet of the office space at Industry City, an expansive former industrial complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
- Innocent Project: The firm represented the Innocence Project in an opinion put to the New Jersey Supreme Court which stated that the use of first time in-court witness identifications (FITIC IDs) should be curtailed. Since this, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion to curtail their use.
Diversity and inclusion
The firm states that it is driven by diversity, as diverse viewpoints produce smarter ideas for clients and innovation. Examples of its work in this area include:
- GAIN: this is the firm’s group for African American and African Diaspora attorneys. It is aimed at recruiting, retaining and promoting lawyers of African descent, as well as supporting an inclusive law firm environment.
- Greenberg Traurig Women’s Initiative: the firm supports the inclusion and advancement of female lawyers via this initiative, which includes leadership training and opportunities, mentoring, and an annual firm wide women’s business forum.
- GT Affinity Groups: the firm has a number of affinity groups which were set up to address the needs of the firm’s diverse workforce. The groups are used as forums for professional and business development, as well as resources for recruitment and retention assistance and social exchanges.